A Principled Pedagogy for Religious Educators

Abstract

Drawing on whiteness literature and over fifty years of combined classroom instruction experience, two professors of race and religion—one black, one white—at predominantly white institutions, answer the question, “How do we as religious educators effectively teach white students to challenge racially distorted assumptions and promote racially just outcomes?” In reply, they call into question the idea of “safe space,” dissect “the white gaze,” and offer three pedagogical principles for preparing white students to be allies in antiracist struggle: principled dislocation, supportive relocation, and sustained cultivation.

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Notes on contributors

David Evans

David Evans, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of History, Mission, Intercultural and Interfaith Studies and Director of Cross Cultural Programs at Eastern Mennonite Seminary, Harrisonburg, Virginia. His research focuses on the braided identity categories of religion, race, and nation. He has served in many ministry contexts and is a member of the United Methodist Church. E-mail: [email protected]

Tobin Miller Shearer

Tobin Miller Shearer is an Associate Professor of History and the Director of African-American Studies at the University of Montana where he teaches courses on race and religion. His most recent book is Two Weeks Every Summer: Fresh Air Children and the Problem of Race in America (Cornell University Press, 2017). He is also the cofounder of the Damascus Road antiracism process in the Mennonite Church. E-mail: [email protected]